Donald Trump: Alex Salmond is ‘an embarrassment to Scotland’

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is “an embarrassment to Scotland,” Donald Trump said, as the two former friends continued their war of words.

The former Scottish National Party leader said on his radio show Wednesday that the American billionaire had overstated his investment in Aberdeenshire and that his ownership of the illustrious Turnberry golf course actually lost the country money.

“I hesitate to put a few facts in front of Donald Trump, as that doesn’t happen very often,” said Salmond, before adding “as long as Donald Trump owns it, I think it’s impossible for the Royal and Ancient [the sport’s governing body in Europe] to take the [British] Open there, and every time they don’t take the Open to Turnberry it costs the Scottish economy and Turnberry £100 million.” The Open is one of the most prestigious golf events in the world.

Trump responded Thursday, saying that Turnberry “was not properly reinvigorated with the massive amounts of capital necessary” until he took over and that he planned on “rebuilding and renovating the great … course, a new second course and the total renovation of the magnificent Turnberry hotel.”

Trump also took the opportunity to attack the Scottish government’s “disgraceful” decision to release Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in which 270 people died.

“Why would a terrorist that blew up an airliner with so many lives lost be released under any circumstances? Alex Salmond is an embarrassment to Scotland,” Trump said.

Al-Megrahi was released from prison in Scotland in 2009 on “compassionate grounds” after being diagnosed with cancer and given three months to live. He had served eight-and-a-half years of a life sentence. Al-Megrahi lived for another three-and-a-half years after his release.

Trump has a fractious relationship with Scotland, the country of his mother’s birth. He established the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire with the support of Scottish ministers, including Salmond, before a falling out over a proposed offshore wind farm project which Trump said would spoil the view from the resort.

Trump has said future investment at his two Scottish golf courses will be at risk if he is banned from the U.K. for controversial comments he made about Muslims. British MPs will discuss a petition to bar Trump from the U.K. on January 18.